Where grass is greener

Students seeks information at the Linden US University Fair. Picture by Sayantan Ghosh

A group of students from AK Ghosh Memorial High School stood uncertainly outside the ballroom of the Oberoi Grand. They had been sent by the school to attend the one-day Linden US University Fair, organised in association with the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIS), last month. Only one of them was sure he wanted to study engineering from a foreign university. The others just poured over the prospectus, ticking the various courses up for grabs.

Near them, a Class XI student from La Martiniere for Girls and her mother were ready with queries on business study courses offered by some shortlisted universities.

Undergraduate students were the new target group of this education fair, last conducted in the city in 2009.

In 2009-10, as many as 104, 897 students from India had gone to various universities in the US to pursue higher education. With more and more universities eager to attract Indian students, the fair is scheduled to make the rounds of seven Indian cities this year, including Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Around 300 students and 75 parents visited the Calcutta chapter of the event, that saw 27 universities participating. There was also a visa corner educating students on the application process.

“The attitude of students is changing. While the bulk still inquires about engineering and business study courses, some are also showing an interest in the liberal arts. And, not all are looking for scholarships, either. Some are ready to pay the entire course fee, if they get into an university of their choice,” said Shevanti Narayan, the regional officer of USIS.

Though the target group is undergraduate students, 80 per cent of the admission-takers remain post-graduates.

Anwesha Mukherjee, a student at Indian Statistical Institute, was eager to do her Ph.D from the University of Colorado at Boulder or the University of Iowa. She has come with a query. “I cannot sit for my TOEFL before December 10. By that time, I would have already applied to the universities. I want to ask if I can submit my TOEFL scores later,” she said.

According to JoBeth Brudner, the tour leader of Linden, Indian students are much-sought-after in the US because they are highly motivated and disciplined.

However the final nod has to come from the visa department. “We can provide the students with the necessary documents. But it’s their luck that will see them through the visa window,” Brudner added.